Jamaica’s first ever Sorrel Festival was staged last Saturday on the East Lawns of Devon House in Kingston as part of a raft of activities to mark National Science and Technology Month.

The festival showcased the wide range of sorrel-based products now available as well as potential products and gave producers of sorrel-based products the opportunity to network, promote and sell their goods.

Information booths and a speakers’ forum formed part of the day’s activities in which presenters explored the various forms and usage of sorrel, which is mostly used to make a refreshing drink, particularly at this time of year.

According to Roselyn Fisher, general manager of the Scientific Research Council, which is staging Science Month, the festival was aimed at stimulating the development of the local sorrel industry by creating awareness among Jamaicans of the various uses of plant, including its medicinal, cosmetic and food usage.

National Science and Technology Month is being observed under the theme ‘Science and Technology for Economic Development: Energy in the 21st Century’.

Here are scenes from the festival.

(Photos: Karl McLarty)